When examining the package with the X-ray machine, the officers noticed dense masses inside the objects. They opened the package, which contained five African art statuettes, as described on the exporter's declaration. Once the statuettes were opened at the base, black bags filled with suspected heroin were discovered in each statuette, for a total weight of about 500 g of the drug.

The package, which was to be delivered to an address in Ontario, will be turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for investigation.

Quick facts

In 2015, the CBSA made a total of 2,771 seizures of drugs in Quebec. Of this number, 2,107 took place at the Mail Processing Centre in Montréal thanks to the vigilance of the border services officers who process international packages in the postal mode.

The CBSA has offices in one of the three large international mail processing centres in Canada. Every year, the officers who work at the Léo-Blanchette MPC inspect over 12 million packages from abroad, primarily the United States, Europe and Africa.

Quotation

"Smugglers conceal illicit subjects in everyday objects to bring drugs into Canada. But this does not take into account the experience and acumen of the border services officers who contribute daily to eradicating illicit drugs from our communities. Drug trafficking is the economic mainstay of organized crime groups. This seizure sends a firm message that the CBSA is firmly committed to countering the entry of illicit drugs into Canada."